FOTD: Craving Colour.

July 17, 2011 | 40 Responses

I love a good colourful look to celebrate summer. Today I was inspired by Lisa Eldridge’s new video Beach Brights to take my bright eyeshadows for a spin. At first I thought I’d just do a bright eyeliner, but as you can see, I kinda went colour crazy. It’s the first time I’m trying a teal and purple combo, and I think it works well. I also wanted to show off Chanel Rouge Coco in Jersey Rose (thanks H. of 25fLONDON!), which is my go-to lipstick this summer. Enjoy the look!

Swatches (from left): Sleek Chaos i-Divine Palette Eyeshadows in Teal, Sea Green, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, Auraline Bright Violet, MAC Arena

Get the Look

For the eyes, build up the colour by patting on a bright teal (Sleek Chaos i-Divine Palette) all over the lid and on the lower lash line. Blend the colour into the crease, then apply a medium brown on the crease. Deepen the outer crease by adding a dark brown. On the outer lid, blend in a vibrant purple (Auraline Bright Violet) and the outer third of the lower lash line. Highlight the brow bone and inner corners with a light peach (MAC Arena).

Line the upper lash line with a black gel liner (MAC Blacktrack), and the waterlines with a black pencil liner (Giorgio Armani waterproof). Apply your favourite mascara (CoverGirl Lash Blast).

For the cheeks, lightly bronze all over the high points of the face with a peachy pink bronzer (Dior Aurora). Then, on the apples of the cheeks, apply a light dusting of a shimmery peachy pink blush (NARS Deep Throat).

For the lips, apply a warm rosy pink lipstick (Chanel Jersey Rose). Add a shimmery lip gloss on top (Chanel Maline).

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Signs of Spring: Pretty Colours and Berry Stained Lips.

February 13, 2011 | 10 Responses

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This week I’ve been thinking about a pretty look that’ll be perfect for Valentine’s Day. I didn’t want to be too theme-y with the makeup, so instead of pulling out all my pink stuff from my vanity, I chose pretty colours that are reminiscent of Spring. Unfortunately, there are no signs of Spring yet here in Toronto, but maybe if we all put our Spring looks on, Mother Nature will give us what we want. What do you think?

Swatches (from left): MAC All That Glitters, MAC Smoke ‘n Diamonds (LE), MAC Coquette, Auraline Bright Violet, MAC Brun, Annabelle Golden Shine, Urban Decay Virgin

Get the Look

For the eyes, pat a shimmery beige (MAC All That Glitters) all over the lid. Apply a shimmery taupe grey (MAC Smoke ‘n Diamonds) on the outer third of the lid for a subtle contrast. Using a pointed crease brush, apply a matte taupe (MAC Coquette) on the crease to add depth. Then, add a pop of violet (Auraline Bright Violet) to the outer V and outer crease. Deepen the colour with a little bit of a cool dark brown (MAC Brun). Smudge the violet over the lower lash line and extend past the eye to create a winged shape. Blend the violet into the top lid colours. Smudge black eyeliner (Urban Decay Zero) into the top lash line and lower waterline. Highlight the inner corner with a gold eyeshadow (Annabelle Golden Shine), and a shimmery champagne (Urban Decay Virgin). Finish off with lots of mascara (L’Oreal Voluminous + CoverGirl Lashblast Waterproof) to the top and bottom lashes.

For the cheeks, blend a rosy cream blush (Mary Kay Cranberry) on the apples of the cheeks.

For the lips, pat a berry lipstick (MAC Party Line) on the lips as a sheer stain.

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How to Wear Makeup That Doesn’t Look Like Makeup.

February 8, 2011 | 31 Responses

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As much as I love wearing my bright eyeshadows and bold lipsticks, my boyfriend doesn’t appreciate the look as much as my beauty blogger friends do. The terms “clownish” and “’80s” have been thrown around a few times. Hrmph. I’m not bitter. Anyways.

Source: Style.com

Lucky for us, the no makeup look is so on trend this Spring (and forever). It is a versatile look that can take you through your day in school or the office without scaring the boys. While I wish that I naturally look this good without makeup, there is work to be done before I get there. It really isn’t that difficult to do, and it only takes five steps from being scary to looking cute.

#1 — Tame the Brow Beast, or Fill In Your Non-Existent (air quotes) Brows.

If you have sparse or very light brows, fill them in with a pencil or brow powder. I still love my MAC Brun eyeshadow and MAC Spiked Eye Brows. If you have a lot of brow hairs (me), use a brow gel to keep the beast in place and fill in any bald spots. You are trying to get natural looking brows, so go in with a light hand.

#2 — Fake a Good Complexion the Right Way.

Unless you’re a model who doesn’t have a single imperfection or dark circles (and in that case, stay far far away from me!), then grab your favourite concealer now. I like theBalm Time Balm and MAC Pro Longwear concealer. Apply it under the eyes, all over the lids, and around the nose to conceal darkness and red areas.

If you want to, you can also apply a little bit of foundation mixed with a highlighter like NARS Orgasm Illuminator or MAC Gold Studio Finish Powder to get a glow all over. Again, minimal foundation is key to fake good skin. You might want to invest in a good brush like the Sigma F80 or F82 brushes to buff in that foundation.

#3 — Go Forth and Glow Like Edward Cullen.

Just kidding. You want to glow like JLo, and not like that vampire. Blush is another thing that’ll depend on your skin’s undertones. Pick pink if you have more pink in your skin, and choose peach if you are more yellow. On my skin (NC35 – NC40), I use either MAC Peaches or MAC Cantaloupe (PRO) blush, and top it with a sheer highlighter with a low amount of shimmer. A satin (translation: skin like) finish is what we’re after. If you have a cream blush, that’s even better. Apply to the apples of the cheeks to achieve the most natural look.

#4 — You Can Always Have More Lashes.

There’s nothing like a clumpy mascara to ruin a minimal makeup look. Apply a great non-clumping mascara to your top and bottom lashes. Rimmel Glam’Eyes and CoverGirl Volume Exact mascaras are my drugstore picks. Apply brown eyeliner to the upper waterline to make it look like you have more lashes at the root.

#5 — Wear a “Your Lips But Better” Colour.

Finish off the look with a very sheer lip product (lipstick, balm, gloss, or stain) that mimics your natural lip colour. I used Revlon Life’s A Peach lipgloss all over my lips.

Aaaand you’re done! Easy, right? Now step out of the house and tell everyone: “Why yes, I woke up this morning looking this fabulous, thank you!”

Wearing My “No Makeup” Look

I really like this fresh face and I might start doing it more often. Do you wear the no makeup look? Doesn’t it make you want Spring to arrive now, pleez can haz nao?